C Yasmani Grandal signs with White Sox - 4 years $73 million

[Lathund]

Claudio having to pitch to 3 guys, no matter what scares me.

 

He pitched to 3 or more batters 54 times in 2019, with the ability to come in to finish an inning, I don't imagine his usage will change all that much overall in 2020. Despite struggling at times (Especially that 4-game run in late May where he gave up 1/4 of his ER for the year) he ended up being an above-average reliever (110 ERA+). I wouldn't want to have him as our closer or our fireman, but there's absolutely no reason to be scared of him simply being in the pen. I expect his 2020 will be closer to his Rangers days than it will his 2019 numbers anyway.

[MrTPlush]

This is somewhat shockingly the biggest contract in White Sox history.

[JosephC]

I'm really bummed about this because I was hoping that a Grandal re-signing would be the big centerpiece move of the off-season. I just think that finding good value will be tough in the market (both free agent and trade), and I felt better about Yasmani than I do with the pitching and shortstops that are out there.

 

The positives though are that I don't mind seeing Pina catch 100 games a year because I really do like his defense. I also think either Alex Avila or Jason Castro would pair really well with Manny. Both will likely be reasonably priced and am hoping that Stearns will bring in one of those two players.

[Pugger]

Every free agent on the market is being "lost" by the team they played for in 2019. It doesn't mean that every team losing a free agent is cheap or poorly run, it's just the way the system works. Just last season, Grandal was "lost" by the Dodgers when the Brewers signed him. The Dodgers aren't cheap or poorly run, and the Brewers certainly aren't the rich team in that comparison. The Dodgers just made the decision that they were better off letting Grandal walk, even when they were the only team in baseball that wouldn't lose a draft pick by signing him.

 

The Brewers have only made the playoffs six times in their existence. Two of those have been in the past two seasons. I don't get the pessimism about how the team is being run. They are being run better now than they have ever been. It sucks that MLB allows some teams to have a significant financial advantage over other teams, but they do. If you want to complain, I'd suggest complaining about how the MLB set things up, don't complain about a front office that is actually doing a pretty good job of winning even when they are put at a competitive disadvantage.

 

I get wanting to see the Brewers win the World Series. We all want to see that. In baseball, the team needs to be set up to make the playoffs. Once there, anything can happen. The Nationals just proved that. Stearns & Co. have done a good job putting together a playoff-caliber team. Attanasio wants to win just as much as any of us, and I believe he is going to do everything he can to get to his third straight playoffs (which the Brewers have never done). Stearns has money to play with and the team has some holes to fill. I'm excited to see what he'll do this offseason.

 

This site needs a "like" button.

[Pugger]

Yasmani Grandal on the Astros' sign-stealing scandal: "They're doing whatever they can to win. If you're not cheating, you're not trying, I guess. It got them a ring. ... The past is the past. It happened. People found out. Now, let's do something to fix it and keep on going."

 

***.

 

Why do players and coaches cover their mouths when the visit the mound? Teams try to steal signs in every sport to get an advantage. I don't see this is such a huge scandal. Trying to steal players under contract, for example (tampering), would be a more egregious sin.

[Pugger]

I'm really bummed about this because I was hoping that a Grandal re-signing would be the big centerpiece move of the off-season. I just think that finding good value will be tough in the market (both free agent and trade), and I felt better about Yasmani than I do with the pitching and shortstops that are out there.

 

The positives though are that I don't mind seeing Pina catch 100 games a year because I really do like his defense. I also think either Alex Avila or Jason Castro would pair really well with Manny. Both will likely be reasonably priced and am hoping that Stearns will bring in one of those two players.

 

I think most of us would have wanted Yas back but not at the price. We have more pressing needs to address and now we can at least financially.

[endaround]

The Brewers lost a 5 win player to a cheap contract because we didn't want a 34 year old getting $17 million to play catcher on a Brewer team that will likely win 70 games. Of course that player is projected for 3 wins that year but hey, we have a 33 year old catcher to play on a team hoping to win 90+ games this year!

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

The Brewers lost a 5 win player to a cheap contract because we didn't want a 34 year old getting $17 million to play catcher on a Brewer team that will likely win 70 games. Of course that player is projected for 3 wins that year but hey, we have a 33 year old catcher to play on a team hoping to win 90+ games this year!

 

Grandal will be 35 in the last year of his deal, and from what I read, each year is $18.25 million

[JimH5]

The Brewers lost a 5 win player to a cheap contract because we didn't want a 34 year old getting $17 million to play catcher on a Brewer team that will likely win 70 games. Of course that player is projected for 3 wins that year but hey, we have a 33 year old catcher to play on a team hoping to win 90+ games this year!

 

Grandal will be 35 in the last year of his deal, and from what I read, each year is $18.25 million

 

If B-R is correct, he was born in November, 1988 and just turned 31 this month. He's under contract through age 34.

[TURBO]

I'm really bummed about this because I was hoping that a Grandal re-signing would be the big centerpiece move of the off-season. I just think that finding good value will be tough in the market (both free agent and trade), and I felt better about Yasmani than I do with the pitching and shortstops that are out there.

 

The positives though are that I don't mind seeing Pina catch 100 games a year because I really do like his defense. I also think either Alex Avila or Jason Castro would pair really well with Manny. Both will likely be reasonably priced and am hoping that Stearns will bring in one of those two players.

 

I think most of us would have wanted Yas back but not at the price.

 

I'd have wanted him back AT THAT price...

[ThisIsMyCrew]

The scene from Moneyball comes to mind. Where they lose out on Johnny Damon and Billy Beanes assistant says “I think it’s a good thing you didn’t sign him. This opens up a world of possibilities.”

 

Personally I was disappointed in Grandals overall production. The walks skew his OPS stat. Not that getting walks is bad, but $18 mil you need more power/doubles/situational hitting. 140 strikeouts in 150 games is a bit much for my liking but that’s just the game of baseball on 2019.

 

I think Pina and another can adequately replace his production. Most World Series teams do not have expensive/all star catchers.

[TURBO]

Pina and another will no way, 100% for sure, NOT replace Grandals production. Unless that "another" is a bonafied hitting catcher, which there ae none available.

[xisxisxis]

The Brewers lost a 5 win player to a cheap contract because we didn't want a 34 year old getting $17 million to play catcher on a Brewer team that will likely win 70 games. Of course that player is projected for 3 wins that year but hey, we have a 33 year old catcher to play on a team hoping to win 90+ games this year!

Yep, for a fanbase that loves Value deals, the failure to sign Grandal at the White Sox terms is an epic fail on Stearns part.

 

The Brewers have lost/released/traded away 10 WAR from last years team (a 0.500 team by talent). To replace that on the open market will take a minimum of $60M (if you go by the cheap estimate of $6M/WAR), or $80M if you go by recent contracts or $100M if we go by historical $/WAR in FA. I'd be gobsmacked if they added $60M in salary before opening day, $80M is a fantasy, $100M a pipe dream (the kind available in CO, WA, CA)...

 

It's very possible that for the $18M that Grandal is getting paid the Brewers could get Lyles and another quality SP or Gregorious (assuming Lyles gets $5M-$6M and the other $12-$13M). That could easily offset the theoretic WAR loss of Gandal.

Really? Seriously? 1) to get Gregorious the Brewers would likely have to spend most of the $18M to outbid the Phillies for Gregorious and nobody is penciling him in for >4 WAR in 2020. B) Lyles hasn't had a season full of success in MLB, but we're drinking the cool-aid that a 10 game stretch is the new Lyles? Lyles should be the 7th or 8th option for SP, not any of the 1-5 slots. We don't even need to look any farther back than 8 months to see what a poor plan for the rotation will get you...

[sveumrules]

Personally I was disappointed in Grandals overall production. The walks skew his OPS stat. Not that getting walks is bad, but $18 mil you need more power/doubles/situational hitting. 140 strikeouts in 150 games is a bit much for my liking but that’s just the game of baseball on 2019.

 

Grandal had the 2nd most HR, the 2nd most doubles & had the 2nd highest isolated slugging among all catchers in 2019. Combine that with the most walks & plate appearances & he produced the most batting runs (17.7) among all 2019 catchers.

 

If you were disappointed by the best hitting catcher in the league in 2019, you are about as close to guaranteed as it gets to be disappointed by the Brewers 2020 catchers batting line.

[Thurston Fluff]

This is somewhat shockingly the biggest contract in White Sox history.

 

I thought the same thing. They seem like a team that would have had at least a couple big signings. Then again they haven't been relevant enough in the last decade to make sense to sign big name guys. IF a team sucks for a decade then hits a window of opportunity they are most likely going to set a franchise record.

[LouisEly]

Really? Seriously? 1) to get Gregorious the Brewers would likely have to spend most of the $18M to outbid the Phillies for Gregorious and nobody is penciling him in for >4 WAR in 2020.

Are we talking about the same Gregorious who put up a .718 OPS in 2019 and missed half the season due to injury (and hasn't played in more than 136 games in a season since 2016) getting $18M/year. Really? Seriously?

 

If that's the case, then I go with my alternate choice which is Grandal's $18M plus Anderson's $6M to get Lyles and a really good SP. $24M can get both of those.

[monty57]

Yep, for a fanbase that loves Value deals, the failure to sign Grandal at the White Sox terms is an epic fail on Stearns part.

 

The Brewers have lost/released/traded away 10 WAR from last years team (a 0.500 team by talent). To replace that on the open market will take a minimum of $60M (if you go by the cheap estimate of $6M/WAR), or $80M if you go by recent contracts or $100M if we go by historical $/WAR in FA. I'd be gobsmacked if they added $60M in salary before opening day, $80M is a fantasy, $100M a pipe dream (the kind available in CO, WA, CA)...

 

It's an open market. Every team in baseball had the opportunity to sign Grandal, and the White Sox offer was the one he chose (so theoretically the largest offer). Of course we'll miss his production, but it doesn't make it a "value deal" when it was the highest price anyone would pay.

 

Just because a player was a Brewer in 2019 doesn't mean that we have first right of refusal on his next contract. The Sox made him an offer and he accepted it. We don't know much more than that. Maybe he would have taken a move to Chicago even if the Brewers matched the offer. Maybe we matched several offers and the Sox just kept raising their bid. All we know is the end result, and not all the decisions made to get there.

 

I agree that it will take a lot to make up for lost production, but free agency means that players will sometimes leave. Stearns made the conscious decision to trade Anderson and not exercise Thames' option. Those are decisions of which we can argue the merit. Stearns doesn't have any more say in where Grandal and Moose end up than any other GM in baseball, so we can't say "we should have signed him" any more for them than we can for every other free agent on the market.

 

Since he is gone and we still want to be a contender next year, I hope that from a relative value standpoint the drop-off in moving from Grandal to Pina will be offset by an upgrade from our current worst starting pitcher to a good starting pitcher, and maybe an upgrade from what Arcia has done the last couple seasons to an above-average SS. There are a lot of moving parts in constructing a baseball team, so for instance the "WAR lost" from Thames could be made up for league minimum by moving Braun to first and letting Grisham start in the OF, freeing up Thames salary to "buy more WAR" at another position.

 

I still think that the Brewers want to upgrade starting pitching this offseason, and with the rules changes I think that would be a smart move. It's early in the offseason, and if we're sitting here in February with the same roster we have today, I'll share in the pessimism some posters are currently feeling. Until then, it looks like we have a decent amount of freed up cash to fill a few holes on the roster, and I'll remain excited to see how Stearns plays it.

[Baldkin]

I see we've reached the irrational, hand-wringing, season over 4 months before it starts, point of the offseason. Is it me or did the crazy come early this year?

 

Gets earlier and earlier every year, just like Christmas.

[StearnsFTW]

Pina and another will no way, 100% for sure, NOT replace Grandals production. Unless that "another" is a bonafied hitting catcher, which there ae none available.

 

Omar Narvaez. Unfortunately he's a terrible defensive catcher, but he's a very good hitter. Not Grandal-good, but very good.

 

They'd have to give up a fair amount to get him though as he has 3 years of control left. I'm sure Stearns looked into it and it appears Narvaez will be traded to someone and soon.

[markedman5]